December 2016

#242: 2016 in Review with AMR Podcast Co-hosts

podcast-hosts-500x300An annual AMR podcast tradition expanded: As the year reaches its finish line, Sarah chats up each of her co-hosts to recap their running and racing. Adrienne Martini talks about the correct nomenclature of the 26.2 she ran in November: Find out why it’s “her marathon” not her “first marathon.” She discusses why she likes big races—and why she might need an exorcist for exercise! Molly is the first of several co-hosts to expound on how her athletic goals are changing as she ages, and how she has no ego about race results. Talk turns to her daughters entering the running world. Giving birth to a new hashtag, Molly and Sarah unveil their big 2017 race.

The conversation dives deeper when Dimity joins, with talk of joy and running as a luxury. Find out what milestone Dimity hit for the first time since becoming a mother runner (or perhaps ever!)—as well as what her 2017 target race. Continuing the aging-runner thread, Amanda Loudin describes how she’s “version 2.0” with racing and running. Nod along as this coach talks about keeping her lips zipped during a 10K with her teen daughter, then laugh along when she tells a tale involving a trail race and a camp chair. Last but not least, Ellison Weist discusses how her racing has evolved over the years—and why she didn’t toe a single starting line in 2016. Hear how this grandmother of two stepped back into running several times this year after illness and injury, as well as how she started meditating.

Oh, and something else to add to Nuun-drinking game that SBS talks about in intro: Chug every time talk turns to swimming!

*Intrigued by talk of Saucony Stride Lab app? Here’s iTunes link to app, or search for it wherever you get apps on your mobile phone.

*You’ll find details about the 2017 AMR Run + Refresh Retreat (including a registration link) here.

*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.

**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. We’ve also joined the Acast podcast network, download their app to hear our podcast and many others like it!

Best Mother Runner Moments of 2016: Piling On Those Miles

The first day we posted a Tribe member’s best Mother Runner moment of 2016—Jana had hit her 1,000-mile mark—we received 20 responses with similar stories. Here’s a handful that we found super inspiring and that are getting us pumped for 2017. You ladies are impressive!

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“I didn’t have a goal for 2016 but I am on target to finish 1300 miles this year. This is thanks to the TLAM club (with all the amazing podcasts, training plans and my BRF Amanda). My husband had aneurysm which caused severe brain damage four years ago. I really haven’t been able to “get back” into running since it happened. This year was my comeback year as I ran two half marathons and a 15 miler race. I am once again reminded how wonderful running is and what benefits it brings to me both mentally and physically. I just think about my husband when I run. He would give anything to be able to run and I am so blessed to “get to do this every day.” Being a mom of three teenage boys, a caregiver to my husband, along with a full time job can be very overtaxing but I know that running makes me be more successful at each one of those jobs. I am excited about 2017 as I am “thinking” about a marathon. Happy running to you all!” —Sandy

 

“I turned 69 a couple of weeks ago, and have run 1440 for the year so far. I did this by averaging at least four miles a day, just about every day. I have never felt better. You guys are an inspiration.” —Jane

 

“I have never ran over 800 miles in a year. This year (as of today), I am at 1308. I am donating $0.25 for every mile I ran in 2016. Lutheran Outdoors of SD will get a nice check. I also get $0.25/mile to splurge on myself.” —Heidi

 

“I hit 2000 miles last night! My goal was 2016 for the year. I’m definitely going to make it, without the long long run on New Year’s Eve like last year. Proud to have shiny new PR’s this year (5K, 10K, marathon) and looking forward to crushing them again next year!” —Martha

 

Check in tomorrow for a special treat to inspire you in ’17 straight from AMR’s Stride Into the Holidays group. (You won’t want to miss it!)

#241: Interview with Winning Pro Triathlete Liz Lyles

liz-500x300-2Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin enjoy a conversation with Liz Lyles, a professional triathlete and mom of two school-age children. In 2016, Liz not only completed two Ironman-distance triathlons—she won both 140.6-mile races, setting a course record at one of them. Liz talks about how, with each passing year, her learning curve of juggling motherhood and training evolves; she shares the keys to her training and racing success. The Reno resident divulges her feelings toward getting a treadmill as a Christmas gift, then spends quite a bit of time talking herself out of anxieties all mother runners will relate to. When she flashes back to her first triathlon, listeners will learn why her bike-to-run transition was so simple and speedy. Liz reveals her trick for getting through a tough spot in a race, as well as her household mantra of, “do what you can do when you can do it.” Laughter multiplies as the conversation progresses.

But first, the work-from-home hosts bond over snow days—and the burning desire for a quiet, empty house from which to work.

*You’ll find details about the 2017 AMR Run + Refresh Retreat (including a registration link) here.

*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.

**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. We’ve also joined the Acast podcast network, download their app to hear our podcast and many others like it!

Best Mother Runner Moments of 2016: The Marathon That Never Happened

We’re sharing the Tribe’s best Mother Runner moments of the year, and this one grabbed our attention the minute it landed in our inboxes. While it’s not necessarily a happy ending or a “best moment,” we appreciate that Tribe member Michelle San Antonio was willing to find the good in the bad.

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“It’s kind of hard to call this my ‘best’ mother runner moment, but it was definitely the most defining moment of my year. After spending 15 weeks training for a PR in Boston in April, I was literally stopped in my tracks halfway through my final 20-miler when my back seized up. Ten miles away from tapering, and I was suddenly unable to even walk normally. Despite a barrage of chiropractic, PT, and acupuncture treatments, I was still limping three weeks later, and Boston was out of the question. I made the very difficult decision to go to the expo anyway, because I wanted my bib. I earned it when I qualified, and I couldn’t stand the thought of it just going in the trash. I also went to the finish line as a spectator on race day and spent the day cheering and crying and taking in the Boston magic from the other side.

“As hard as it was to be in the city on race weekend knowing that I wouldn’t be running, I also drew so much strength from the entire experience. When you’ve poured your heart and soul into a months-long training plan, only to have it all yanked out from under you in an instant, you realize how much more strength it takes to not run those grueling 26.2 miles. This experience taught me a whole different kind of mental toughness, and although I still feel sad when I think about having to miss out on this year’s race, I’m also more driven than ever to train hard and run fast so I can get back to Boston and redeem myself. The races we don’t run teach us just as much as, if not more than, the races we do complete.” —Mother Runner Michelle

 

Did you have any race disappointments this year? Were you able to find a silver lining? Share below—we’d love to hear your story.

Best Mother Runner Moments of 2016: Role Mother Edition

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Our Role Mothers have consistently shown us grace, inspiration, and strength on the road and the race course, and as we wrap up 2016 we’re asking for their best Mother Runner moments of the year. Read through their stories below:

 

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Melissa’s view from a Retreat run

Melissa, the marathoner
Best part of my running year was heading to Spokane for the AMR Retreat. Although I’ve been running for close to 20 years now, I still feel there is much to learn about the sport and its people, and going to the Retreat did both of those things for me. It also renewed my love for running, and let’s be honest, that’s hard to do year in and year out, especially when age and the seasons and hardships of life always have a way of posing as the inevitable slippery banana on our running paths.

Completing the HR training challenge was another highlight, and reminded me that comparing myself and my running to others is a total waste of energy and thought, and no matter the pace or the place, I am forever #coachandloved. 2016 was full of life changes for me, including my firstborn heading to college and new opportunities in my writing and work, but I am forever grateful for the continued mental clarity and sanity that all those miles still provide me.

 

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Nicole was all smiles at home and in Jamaica

Nicole, the regular runner
There are two Mother Runner moments from 2016 that stick out as most memorable. Both happened toward the latter part of the year. The first was on the morning of October 25th. It was my novel’s pub day (The Thunder Beneath Us) and I knew the best way to kick off the day of joy was to hit the road running. Even the weather was playing nice that morning. It was chilly, but very sunny and clear out. I think I was grinning the whole 4.5 miles and kept a great pace. Then when I got home, I asked my younger sister—who was in town for my book launch party the next day—to take my picture. Of course I had to do a jump shot!

The other memorable moment was earlier this month. I went on a press trip to Jamaica for the 16th Annual Reggae Marathon. I opted to run the 10K portion of the race because I’m not insane. I could have never packed in training for a full or even half marathon in the 10 days I had between when I got the assignment and race day. The whole trip was fantastic. Getting to see Jamaica in all its beauty for the first time was wonderful. Meeting and getting to hang out with the other journalists on the trip, also fun. But the race itself? That stands out in my mind as tough. The heat and humidity at 3:45 AM (when our driver picked us up) and 5:30 a.m. (when the start gun sounded)…man, that was intense. And running in the dark, before the sun had risen, and sweating like you’re in a sauna were also pretty crazy, but memorable. Definitely one for the books. I was so happy to cross the finish line and stroll over to the beautiful Seven Mile Beach there in Negril. It kind of made it all better. And when I checked my time, it was horrible. I think I’d place the race, heat be damned, in the Good Ones category.

 

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Ashley after her half with her (adorable) daughter, Reese

Ashley, the beginner
When I first began this journey, I thought for sure my best moment would have been running a half marathon, however, I couldn’t have been more wrong. My best running moment of 2016 was becoming a runner. Being a runner was something I was not positive I could be classified as, but I could, and I did! I found strength on long runs that I didn’t think I had, I found wisdom in failures, I found humor in brutally honest moments, and I found courage in attempting runs each week that were longer than I had ever gone before. Running has become something I cherish and I thank the AMR community of BAMRs for joining me on this year transformation. I cannot wait to see the miles that 2017 has in store for me.

 

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Pam with SBS (left) and Dimity in Spokane

Pam, the grandmother
The two things that have forever changed the way I feel about running are Heart Rate Training and the AMR Retreat. With lupus and fibromyalgia, I really enjoyed the easier pace of heart rate training. Not so sure a lot of the BAMRs felt this way. I am now more likely to go for a run based on time not pace.

And the Retreat was so much fun—finally seeing the faces of the ladies from the Facebook groups and getting to run with them. And meeting Dimity, Sarah, and the AMR staff was amazing. Best part of the retreat was crossing the finish line of the Happy Girls 10K race with BAMR Hillary Hanson and hearing SBS announce our names and having an average heart rate of 140 bpm since I ran it as a training run.

 

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Sarah & co. making this year’s Turkey Trot a family affair

Sarah, the triathlete

This past year brought a modicum of personal success as a runner and triathlete. But my favorite moment as a mother runner in 2016—and perhaps, ever—wasn’t a result of my own triumph. Rather, it was sharing a memorable experience with my son, Eamon.

 As a kid, I didn’t really like to run. Sure, I sprinted around our cul-de-sac and successfully attempted to beat everyone in my seventh grade gym class during our timed mile. But I never entertained the thought of racing until I was well into high school. My endurance and fitness came along as a byproduct of other sports—swimming, softball, basketball—and I assumed that’s how it would go for my three kids, too. While I applauded my friend’s children who ran in local 5Ks, I didn’t broach the topic with my own brood. They never seemed interested in all of my running ventures, so I didn’t push them to join me.
That is, until a few weeks ago, on the eve of Thanksgiving. I casually mentioned running a Turkey Trot to my 8-year-old, Eamon, who perked up and told me he wanted to run it, too. I reminded him it was 3.1 miles—nearly three times the distance than he’d ever run. He coolly shrugged and said, “I know.” The next morning, he was up before I was, dressed in his favorite black warm-up pants, his sneakers already on. As we walked to the start of the race, I gently reminded him of a few racing basics: Don’t go out too fast, pace yourself, save some energy for the end. He listened, and nodded, and admitted he was nervous. I was too: A fall cold had kicked his asthma into high gear, and I couldn’t help but worry about his little lungs. But he was determined. And who I was I to stop him? Since I was targeting a specific race pace, my husband, Mark, agreed to run with Eamon and stop if it seemed he was struggling. The gun went off. I went to the front, Mark and Eamon trailing behind me. “Go Mommy!” Eamon shouted as the distance grew between us. “See you at the finish line!” I yelled back. But would I?
Some 27 minutes later, after I’d competed my race and retraced my steps along to course to find Eamon and Mark, I saw them making their way toward me. Eamon’s stride short and choppy, his cheeks—once so chubby, now growing more and more narrow by the day—flushed in the cool morning air. He gave me a huge grin, a gap revealing two missing front teeth. “Did you run the whole thing?” I shouted, almost in disbelief. “I did!” He puffed back, a steely focus in his wide brown eyes. I jumped back onto the course, running right behind him as we charged toward the finish line. As I cheered him on, I realized the enormity of what was happening. Yes, it was just a local, low key race. And he wasn’t like he was winning the race or setting some sort of phenomenal pace. But I knew right then and there that this was a memory that would be indelibly sealed in Eamon’s brain for a lifetime. After all, you never, ever forget your first 5K. And I’ll never forget the swell of pride I felt watching him run it. Seeing him sprint to the finish line. The look on his face when he realized he really did it. It was a huge milestone in his little 8-year-old life—and an even bigger moment for me as a mother runner.

 

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Tania’s year of hard work in photo form

Tania, the sputterer
2016 was a year of triumphs and disappointments for running. I finished my first marathon (woohoo!), but I ran injured, so it wasn’t my best race. However, I had the support of my family and friends which was awesome! I ran fun races with my BRFs. I had to take a break for a bit to heal my injury and then we moved, so training got off track. Then I was able to PR later in the year and get some of my mojo back. I also helped a friend PR a race and showed her she’s tougher than she thinks. We’re all tougher than we think. Here’s to 2017 as I start the year with the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Wishing all you Mother Runners the best year ever!

 

Did you follow our Role Mothers throughout the year? Tell us your favorite post or message they shared this year.

Best Mother Runner Moments of 2016: My First Half

It’s Day 2 of the Tribe’s Best Mother Runner Moments of 2016, and we two ladies who conquered their first half marathons in 2016. Each has a different story, and we appreciate both of them. Thank you for sharing, ladies!

 

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“I stayed up on New Year’s Eve last year to register for the Detroit International Half Marathon at 12:01 am January 1st and waited until 1:30 am for my confirmation. This was my first half marathon, something that I NEVER thought I would accomplish when I started running a few years ago (in my non-athletic early 40s). Running and finishing that race was an awesome experience—surrounded by 20,000 other runners, cheering crowds, and the honor to say ‘I’m a half-marathoner!” —Mother Runner Tina

 

 

 

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“In October I finished my first half-marathon. It may not have gone as I had hoped but how could I not be happy finishing in 2:16 (in the pouring rain) with this guy by my side. I strive everyday to show my boys that anything is possible if they work for it and I WILL beat 2:16 in 2017.” —Amy

Did you have any race firsts this year? Tell us below in the comments section.

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